Doctor Who: The Centurion Charade
by Doctor Project
Summary: When a mysterious force begins infiltrating 1920s Earth, it is up to the Doctor and his team Jenny, Ivy, and Matt to save the day...


The Centurion Charade

Chapter One: Surprise Destination

Samuel J. Clearwater strolled casually up the street, dark briefcase in hand. He was on his way home from work at Clearwater and Company Law Firm, fighting through the bustling and noisy crowds of people also on their way home. As he passed the window of his favorite department store, Henrik's, he stopped and looked at his reflection, straightening his most boring grey tie and running a hand over his short grey hair. He liked to smarten himself up before he got home. It was always good to be impressive.

After he was confident that he looked decent for his wife and kids, Samuel continued on his path towards home. He followed the same path he had taken every day for the past 7 years, turning left onto Market Street followed by a right onto Thompson Drive. Samuel was the sort of man who found safety and comfort in repetition. He simply had no patience for anything strange or different. The same job, the same route, the same lunch, and the same suits for 7 straight years.

He turned down the alley he cut through every day, keeping up the same even stroll he was used to, and thinking on the latest cases he had taken on. The alley, like always, was poorly lit and smelled strongly of sewage and something severely spoiled. Samuel could hear water dripping, and small feet, most likely those of rats, scurrying around. Like everyday, he ignored these sensations, and the tenseness that came along with them, keeping his mind on the dinner sure to be waiting for him when he got home. He knew as soon as he walked through the door, his children would run up to hug him and his wife would grin (admittedly superficially) and announce that dinner was ready. Dinner was always something healthy and hearty, all of similar caliber. Samuel would hurry through the meal without really caring about conversation and then dash off to his home office, where he would "work" for several more hours undisturbed. Everything on schedule. Every single day.

When he was almost halfway through the alley, he heard heavy footsteps coming hurriedly from the other direction. Other people did use the shortcut, sensibly out of fear that they may get attacked in the darkness of the alley. However, this was the fastest route home, and he simply did not want to be late. Besides, Samuel was a big, burly man with hardly any neck, and he had an imposing looking large moustache and was also adorened with rather strong beefy arms. He could easily fend for himself, but for some reason, he stopped.

A cold biting wind gushed through the alley, howling past the dilapidated stone walls. Tonight felt... different. Samuel didn't like different. Different meant something had gone wrong, and that things would change. He didn't like change as much as he liked different. Not even a tiny speck of it. Unfortunately, Samuel didn't know know how _much_ things would change for him. He could feel his heart racing. His Adam's apple beating against his throat. Samuel almost wished to run the other way but stood there hoping he was imagining things, something he never thought he'd ever do, because he did not approve of wild imaginations. Wild imaginations were different. It was starting to get very dark out, and the alley didn't have any lights. The person continued to approach, although they were slowing down. Easing in closer to him, each step echoing against the cold walls. It was impossible for him to make out any features of the figure until he was a mere meter in front of Samuel.

"Bloody Hell!" Samuel exclaimed as he recognized the person standing in front of him. _No, that can't be, that's impossible!_ Samuel thought frantically, just as he met with the person who continued mechanically towards him, no sign of stopping. Had anyone outside the alley been paying attention, they probably would have found the noises and strange electric blue lights emanating from the alley a little bizarre. As it happens, no one was paying the least bit of attention. Nobody saw the real Samuel J. Clearwater die.

Then, a few minutes later, Samuel J. Clearwater emerged from the other side, seemingly as if nothing had happened, straightened his tie again, and proceeded towards home. Though he was not the same man that had entered the alley before. He had become something entirely, different.

•••

The Doctor ran frantically around the TARDIS console, mallet in hand. He stopped at the switch for the dimensional stabilizer and flicked it hurriedly a few times. When it refused to respond, he groaned, "Oh come on..." and began a rather terrifyingly heavy attack on the device with the mallet. After a few wholesome hits the unit began to function again, beeping clearly and flashing it's brilliant lights. The Doctor turned, smiling triumphantly to the others. "Told ya I could fix it." He said, looking completely smug, his face splitting into his trademark grin. He was feeling rather proud of himself and his impressive piloting skills. He honestly waited for an applause, maybe even a parade with everyone wearing big paper mache heads of him, or a medal, or at the very least a laurel wreath to put on his inflated head but none came. His flying genius very much under-appreciated as per usual.

His daughter Jenny rolled her eyes at him, and Ivy smirked, flipping her light brown hair out of her face as the TARDIS jostled around and leaning back in the seat of the TARDIS. Matt grinned widely though that was only because his Abra just evolved into a Kadabra on his Pokemon game.

"So where are we going anyway?" he asked excitedly, as he saved the game and turned it off quickly. Alien planets required more attention.

"No spoilers," The Doctor responded, breaking into another playful smile. "You'll just have to go outside and see."

Matt looked at the closed door of the TARDIS and then back at The Doctor, before sprinting to the door laughing.

Matt! Wait! You don't know-" But Ivy was too late. Matt was already gone, his thick brown hair disappearing out the door. She shot the Doctor a look that said, "Thanks a lot," and was out the door after him.

The Doctor and Matt were like two little kids, well, at least Matt had an excuse. Although she guessed the Doctor could just be senile or something. Ivy felt more like the group mother than anything as she walked out the door, searching for her younger charge. But in the back of her mind she was glad that she had family again. It was just unfortunate that she was the only one that acted like a grown up.

The Doctor looked at Jenny and gestured towards the door, "Wanna join them?"

"Of course," Jenny said, getting up and gracefully crossing the room. The two of them stepped outside, following their younger companions. She was still getting used to the traveling to different places and times. She didn't even know if she could get used to it at all. She thought she probably would. She had gotten used to this whole family concept rather quickly.

The four time travelers were standing at the mouth of an alley, along a bustling street. Matt was standing a metre or so back from the sidewalk, where the throng of people was busy enough that anyone who ventured out there was swallowed up in the crowd almost instantaneously. His mouth was agape as he took in their surroundings. It wasn't anything really interesting to look at if he was being honest. But it was completely mental. It was as if those stupid black and white films had come alive in complete sensational colour. He could barely take it in. It was so unbelievably bizarre.

Ivy smiled and muttered something along the lines of "sweet" under her breath. They traveled back in time. It was very clear simply from how filthy the alley was. Although she supposed, she could just be in Scotland. But from the fashion, the buildings, the vintage cars and the lack of modern cynicism, she knew they traveled back. Quite a while back. What she saw with her eyes, she guessed she would probably only have ever seen in black and white photos. The really old ones that were all yellow so she supposed it should be called yellow and black photos.

Jenny was being more practical, and trying to identify what changes in their wardrobe they would need to make so they wouldn't stick out so badly. That said, she didn't really know what would work. She still hadn't learnt enough about Earth's history and future from the TARDIS library. It was a lot of books. She wished she had it all downloaded into her brain instead of all the military protocols. They weren't really that useful now that she had given up that part of her. She was more of the executive-action-jumping-climbing-running sort of Time Lady than the book worm kind. Although, her dad was sort of both, so maybe she was too. She didn't really have time to find out what with all the urgent world saving she had to do first.

The Doctor emerged and was looking around, severely confused. Maybe he shouldn't have been so smug about his piloting skills.

"This isn't where I was trying to take us. Not even close."

The Doctor had actually tried to navigate a course for Live Aid. Whilst teaching Jenny about the universe, he discovered that she still hadn't developed a proper appreciation for music at all. Every Time Lord has good taste in music. That was a fact. Still, he supposed he could simply teach her that later. Right now he wanted to know where and when they were. His hair bristled in the wind, and he could feel it was Earth. It always messed up his hair like that when it spins. Then, he breathed in a great big lungful of the air. Minty though a bit dusty. A thin layer of fibrous boll, which he thought, - well knew- was most probably cotton. Then he smelled rubber, water, and fuel. If he had to guess...

"Manchester. 1920s. Really wasn't trying to get here. Quite a dull time and place," he said importantly as he wondered if they should go back into the TARDIS. Was there anything interesting in Manchester at all? Was Manchester United playing yet?

Ivy turned to look at him. "Who cares?" she asked, and after a pause continued, "I thought you said it was more fun if you don't know where you're going anyways."

She had the Doctor there; it definitely was more fun delving into the unknown. He smiled at Ivy's comment and turned towards the street to assess the situation.

•••


End file.
